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The Saturday Six “Holiday Break Reading” Edition – December 17, 2016

With the publishing of this weekend’s Saturday Six, Kingsport City Schools is now officially on Winter Vacation! Students won’t return to class until Wednesday, January 4, 2017, which will hopefully give our families time to enjoy a wonderful break. The Saturday Six will also be taking a couple of weeks off, returning after school begins again in 2017.

How will you spend the next two weeks? For many folks, this is a perfect time to cozy up by the fire with some hot chocolate and a great book. Looking for some good book ideas? This week, with the help of KCS Coordinator of Literacy Programs Emily Helphinstine, the Saturday Six offers six book suggestions to help you complete your winter reading list. Enjoy these possibilities!

The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown – “…An irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times,” tells the Depression-era tale of nine working-class boys from the University of Washington who fielded a crew team and shocked the world by defeating Hitler’s German team in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Salt to the Sea, by Ruta Sepetys – A “masterful work of historical fiction” that proves that humanity and love can prevail, even in the darkest times. Ten thousand people, who discover that neither country nor culture nor status truly matters, find themselves struggling for survival in this tale inspired by the real-life sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, considered to be the greatest maritime disaster in history.

Echo, by Pam Munoz Ryan – Echo tells the tale of Otto who finds himself lost and alone in a forbidden forest. When he meets three mysterious sisters, Otto finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.

The Quiltmaker’s Gift, by Jeff Brumbeau – When a generous quiltmaker agrees to make a quilt for a greedy king, but only under certain circumstances, she causes the king to undergo a change of heart. Each page of The Quiltmaker’s Gift highlights a different quilt block pattern whose name relates to the unfolding story.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce – Named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry tells about retired Englishman Harold Fry’s six hundred mile journey on foot to deliver a message to a woman he hadn’t heard from in twenty years until her good-bye letter arrived at his home. Full of charm, humor, and profound insight into the thoughts and feelings we bury deep in our hearts, this novel introduces Joyce as a “wise – and utterly irresistible – storyteller.”

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson – In The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, we find the tale of a reluctant centenarian, Allan Karlsson, who decides it’s never too late to start over. To avoid life in a nursing home, Karlsson climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and unexpected journey that involves a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a friendly hot dog stand operator, and an elephant.